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Two years ago, comparing Steph Curry and Russell Westbrook would have been laughable. But when a friend of mine suggested a few weeks ago to analyze the differences between two of the NBA's elite point guards, I paused. Curry's rapid ascension to superstardom hit national airwaves a year and a half ago, when he went off for 54 points in Madison Square Garden on ESPN. He hit an unconscious 11 of 13 from beyond the arc...something even the best NBA 2K players probably couldn't do in the video game. He's one of three players in NBA history to hit 10+ threes on 80%+ from the field, and the only one to hit 11 threes. At that point, Russell Westbrook had already seen time in the NBA Finals alongside the now-2014 MVP, Kevin Durant. A comparison of Steph Curry vs. Russell Westbrook is an appropriate one to have.

Despite playing the same position, the difference in how Curry and Westbrook play is striking. Both qualify as "scoring point guards" under a metric, traditional-to-scorer rating (TSR), that I developed in December 2012. The keys to Westbrook's success in scoring rely on his umatched athleticism, both in speed and in strength. His signature pull-up jumper at the free-throw line is a deadly counter to his vicious drives to the rim. Something that I've always been baffled by, though, is Westbrook's ability and desire to consistently shoot more than Kevin Durant, now a three-time scoring champion. Westbrook's and Durant's relationship parallels the early 00s version of Kobe and Shaq. Both are top players in the game, but one in their established prime/peak while the younger one vies for often less efficient shots. Westbrook has a career 43 percent FG pecentage. Kobe is at 45 percent for his career.

Now, although a strictly statistical comparison is incomplete, Curry's and Westbrook's career numbers, and peak seasons, should be considered. (Both are within a couple months of being the same age.)

The salient point of Curry's and Westbrook's career numbers are that they are incredibly similar. The only noticeable differences are in rebounds, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, three-point percentage, true shooting percentage, and usage rate. The main surprise worth noting that favors Curry is the difference in usage rates. Westbrook has a 20% higher usage rate than Curry which means even though Curry is the clear number one option on his team, Westbrook still uses more of his teams' possessions.

It might be attractive to point out that the numbers don't show that Westbrook has a superstar on his team while Curry does not. But that point is mitigated when considering this discrepancy in usage rate that shows Westbrook still manages to use more of his team's possessions. The corollary to this is that as defenses can hone in on one player, that players efficiency should suffer. This was true for Curry, who has taken on a greater percentage of the scoring load and seen marginal decreases in efficiency over the past few years.

Opponents know that the Warriors offense runs through Curry. David Lee's jumper evaporated last year, Iguodala did not seem to want to score (unless there were less than 10 seconds in regulation, and Warriors fans did not have a problem with those shots), and Klay Thompson was effective but not always consistent. Harrison Barnes simply did not have a good year. Meanwhile, Westbrook has the luxury of playing off Durant, so it logically follows that if Westbrook was in Curry's position, the former UCLA guard's efficiency would drop because Golden State does not have a Durant. Which brings us to each player's respective peak seasons:

It's clear who has the statistical edge here. It's also a very short list of seasons in NBA history where a player has hit 200+ threes and had a true shooting percentage above 60. Curry is on there with a performance considered mildly "inefficient" for him.

Where stats often fail to grasp a player's value is on defense. Defensive win shares and defensive rating both suggest that Curry is on par with Westbrook, but it's clear that this would be a misguided conclusion. Westbrook's athleticism and tenacity on offense don't disappear on defense. Curry's mediocre defense is not for a lack of effort so much as it is simply just a lack of size and raw athleticism. The Warriors strive to cover up Curry as their primary weakness on defense whereas the Thunder can count on Westbrook to contribute on both ends of the floor.

Belittling a player's defensive value would be a mistake, but the NBA is a scoring league first and foremost. The Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers, both known as defensive juggernauts, ultimately met their demise in the 2014 NBA playoffs. As Magic Johnson would say, to win you need to score more points than the other team.

Anyone who regularly reads my writing knows how much I love the hypothetical switches when comparing players. We already went through one on this Curry vs. Westbrook comparison (how would Westbrook fair as a primary scoring option a la on the Warriors?). Now for the other side of the coin: what if Curry were to be on the OKC Thunder? Curry, Durant, and Ibaka as a Big 3 would be one of the best Big 3 in recent memory. I would take those guys over LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Over Pierce, KG, and Allen. On par with LeBron, Love, and Kyrie. Imagine an unselfish point guard - who can score in any variety of ways - paired up with the league's most prolific scorer and a defensive stalwart who can also hit midrange jumpers and run the P&R as necessary. A trio of Curry, Durant, and Ibaka would win bigger than Westbrook, Durant, and Ibaka has or will.

Can I prove that? No. But chemistry is a big key and while Durant likes to play up the brotherly love that he has with Westbrook, does he really have a choice? KD realizes that he's not getting a better sidekick, so might as well butter him up and feed him what he wants to hear. Curry's style would mesh better with Durant and OKC could cover up Curry's weaknesses on defense without a problem. And they seem like they get along fine off the court.

Curry's finesse game relies on the game's best jump-shot and handles that can break down anybody. We are trained, as NBA fans, to have less respect for that. The best player in the game, LeBron James, has made NBA fans appreciate the dominance that can be enforced by strength, skill, and speed. The greats before him did, too. Curry doesn't have the same strength and perceived toughness as the Melos, LeBrons, Kobes, and Westbrooks of the NBA. He takes a hit in the eyes of NBA fans as a result.

Westbrook is an All Star. He's a superstar. I must say I surprised myself with the conclusion of this column because I had just sketched a rough draft for my top 30 NBA players for the 2014-15 season and I had Westbrook ahead of Curry. The numbers say otherwise. The hypotheticals do, too. OKC's success has a lot to do with Westbrook, but he's playing with the NBA MVP as well as another borderline All Star.

So Curry or Westbrook? Let's boil it down to three questions: who would prefer to build a franchise around, who would win you more games as the point guard for the 2015 Warriors, and who would win you more games as the point guard for the 2015 Thunder?

The Akron native, Wardell Stephen Curry, is my pick.The column lead photo and statistical comparison photos are my original designs. I spent way too much time doing them. But they were fun to do. No more boring Excel tables for comparisons!

It’s been a tumultuous off-season…to say the least. Now that
things have finally (somewhat) settled down, it’s time for another round of my
annual predictions columns. Although last year’s awards didn’t turn out quite like
I thought they would, I’m back at it for another round. Here’s what the
magic eight-ball came up with for your 2015 NBA awards.

NBA MVP: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

The 2014 NBA MVP, Kevin Durant, has to be the favorite to
win the award. For once in his career, LeBron is the clear underdog. While I do
think that the next 3-4 years could easily go back and forth between KD and
King James, LeBron’s first year in Cleveland will at least start off slow. The
chemistry, new coach, and all the hype will take some time getting used to.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant is off in Oklahoma City preparing for another chance at
an NBA title.

My dark horse candidate here that I couldn’t quite pull the
trigger on is Steph Curry. Under the new coaching regime, I fully expect Curry
to have his best year. He proved last year that he could handle a greater
percentage of the offensive playmaking, but with an incompetent coach (in terms
of offensive), Curry still has potential to fill. Mike Malone was sorely missed
when he departed for Sacramento and the front office lit a torch to the
coaching staff, which should prove to be a good thing. If Durant to the Wizards
talks come up and start being a distraction of their own, I will regret not
picking the former Davidson star.

NBA Rookie of the Year: Andrew Wiggins. Minnesota Timberwolves

Wiggins somehow went from an overhyped high school prodigy
to an oddly underrated no. 1 overall pick. While I wouldn’t put any money on
his future over at William Hill Sports Betting Online, I think Wiggins will succeed in the immediate
future. The chip on his shoulder combined with the explosive youth he’s
surrounded by in Minnesota—Thad Young, Anthony Bennett, and Zach Lavine—will motivate
Wiggins to improve his spotty jumper. It’s tempting to give the Buck’s Jabari
Parker the nod here, but Wiggins upside and his situation will give him the
edge in Year 1. I could see 18-7-4 from him.

NBA Defensive Player
of the Year

The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award is the easiest
one of all: James Harden. Type in James Harden Defense into any video or search
engine you can find and you will see some of the NBA’s premiere defense on
display. There’s no question that the Rockets’ star will finally be recognized
for his greatness on the defensive side of the ball.

…oh wait.

In all seriousness, though, I think this is the year that
one player does break through and win his first DPOY award. Cleveland may have
a rocky start, but defense is not something that needs too much scheming.
Effort and rotations get you 90 percent of the way there, and David Blatt can
cover that. Combine that with his expressed desire to win this award and
surrounding offensive talent, and LeBron James finally wins his first Defensive
Player of the Year Award.

Most Improved Player
of the Year: Anthony Bennett, Minnesota Timberwolves

This is paradoxically both the boldest and the easiest pick
of the 2015 NBA awards. On the one hand, Bennett was terrible last year. His
future did not look bright when he was throwing bagels all over the stat line
for the majority of the year. On the other hand, Bennett was terrible last
year. So it makes it that much easier to “improve.”

The trade to the Timberwolves was also a great career move
for Bennett, who needs more playing time and less pressure to regain his
positive career trajectory. He gave me reasons to be optimistic and then this
off-season, I called him out on Twitter for not joining LeBron and Melo in the
weight-loss trend…

You’re welcome, T’wolves fans, you can thank me when he wins
this award.

Sixth Man of the Year: Jamal Crawford, LA Clippers

I don’t see anything changing in this department from last
year to this. Manu Ginobili doesn’t get enough minutes and Jamal Crawford
starts on the bench but plays near-starter minutes. I’m taking one of the
league’s best raw scorers to become the first NBA player ever to win three
Sixth Man of the Year awards.

Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors

I hinted at it a little bit earlier, but I really think that
the Warriors made the right decision firing Mark Jackson in favor of Steve Kerr.
Well-connected and intelligent, Kerr’s personality also fits well with the
Warriors roster that feeds off of great chemistry. The second stringers in the
NBA Summer League put Kerr’s offensive potential on display. Put together one of
the league’s best defenses with a rejuvenated offense and increasing hype
surrounding a good team, and I’m taking the first year coach to win big in
2015.

Executive of the Year

Only one person brought LeBron James, Kevin Love, James
Jones, Shawn Marion, and whoever else the Cavs will grab this off-season. It
took the great general manager that is LeBron James to pull that off. You don’t
have to take my word for it, either.

Lebron James best executive in the NBA!!!
— Isiah Thomas (@iamisiahthomas) August 7, 2014

You remember that one really quiet guy in high school? The
one who always got his work done, didn’t talk much, and then one day you found
out he was the smartest guy in the class? That was the guy who was accepted into MIT
because of his near-perfect GPA and SAT score. He went on to MIT to
become one of a few geniuses in the entire world but he still never earned the
recognition he deserved at MIT…because everybody else there had his same numbers and
some gloated more than he did. That’s Dwyane Wade. And when he
teamed up with (an older) and more spotlight-attractive Shaquille O’Neal, followed a few years later by the NBA’s biggest superstar, LeBron James, Dwyane
Wade’s greatness is often forgotten and diminished.

D-Wade in his prime was one of the most exciting
players to watch. A two-way player who could slither through double teams as
gracefully as he could pull off a come-from-behind block that is now ironically
a signature of LeBron James. Now, before the 2014-15 NBA season starts, one that may truly make
or break Wade’s legacy as remembered by the casual fan, let's look back at just how special Wade has been. He may not be a top-10 greatest player of all time, but as you may find in the coming couple-thousand words…he’s
a lot closer than you might think.

Dwyane Wade at his peak was unstoppable. In the 2008-09
season, he submitted one of the most dominating seasons in NBA history, slicing
through and shooting over opponents as well as anchoring Miami defensively. Wade
manhandled opposing teams despite possessing a supporting cast of Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem,
Michael Beasley, and Daequan Cook. (Hold on a second, I need to throw up.) I
won’t even bother mentioning the benchwarmers.

Surrounded by this, well…putrid roster, Wade joined elite
company. Not top-10 or top-5 elite, but all-time great. Only three players have
ever scored over 2300 points, hauled in 350 rebounds, and dished out 500
assists in a single season: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade
(2009). Bill Simmons said it best in The
Book of Basketball, “[2009] Wade performed the best Jordan imitation yet”
(page 684 of the paperback for anyone who owns a copy of the great, but lengthy,
book).

We need to rewind a few years to spearhead the beginning of
Wade’s peak. 32-year-old Shaquille O’Neal hopped on board the Wade train in
2004, after a highly publicized feud with his Lakers co-superstar, Kobe Bryant.
Bestowing his new teammate with the nickname, Flash, the seven-footer was clearly
on the backside of a Hall of Fame career. In his first year (2004-05) with the
Heat, Shaq put up a then-career low in minutes and rebounds per game. There was
no mistaking that Shaq was Robin to Wade’s Batman.

The Heat nearly made it to the NBA Finals that season, but a
forgettable fourth quarter from Wade in Game 7 vs. the Pistons in the Eastern
conference finals cost them the opportunity. After sitting out Game 6 because
of a rib injury, Wade started off Game 7 strong but turned the ball over twice
and failed to manage to score a basket in the closing minutes of the game. Larry
Brown’s Pistons went on to lose the 2005 NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs in
seven.

Wade came back in 2006 with experience and a vengeance. And
Miami needed it. In 2006, his teammates included a 33-year-old Shaq (who played
59 regular season games), Udonis Haslem, James Posey, and Jason Williams.
37-year-old Gary Payton and 35-year-old Alonzo Mourning hobbled off the bench.

There was no mistaking Wade’s ascension to superstardom. His
signature performance that season came against Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards
where Wade’s runner in the key with 21 seconds left put Miami ahead by two. His
defensive rebound and clutch free throws sealed it. Wade finished with 40.
Ironically, his best regular season offensive performance that season, a 44-9-8
near triple-double, came in a loss to a fellow third-year player, one LeBron
James.

This was only the prelude to what would be one of the best
post-season performances in NBA history. Wade took Shaq’s cape and became
Superman. After handling Chicago and New Jersey, guess who was back, back
again, in the Eastern Conference finals. The Detroit Pistons. Wade, Shaq, and
the corpse of Alonzo Mourning, against the 64-win Pistons led by Chauncey,
Prince, Rip and the Wallaces. They sound friendly, but the Pistons stingy
defense reeked of the earlier “Bad Boy” rendition of the Pistons.

Six games later, Dwyane Wade, in year 3, was headed to the
NBA Finals. In that ECF series, he put up 27-6-5 on 62 percent from the field
and 81 percent from the line against one of the league’s premiere defenses.

Wade’s NBA Finals were even better. After a pedestrian two
games in Dallas, Wade scored 42 of his team’s 98 points and hauled in 13
rebounds to drag his team to victory in Game 3. Game 4 was more of the same,
with Wade scoring 36 of his team’s 98. In Game 5, Wade was already at 41 when Dirk
fouled him with 1.9 seconds to go, sending him to the line. Wade sunk two
clutch free throws to give the Heat a 3-2 series lead. 36 points, 10 rebounds,
five assists, four steals, and three
blocks later, Wade was crowned NBA Finals MVP. Wade brought Miami their first title
in franchise history.

Wade’s final Finals numbers: an average of 35-8-4, three
steals, a block, and a game that qualified for one of the 25 greatest NBA playoff performances of all time. John Hollinger wrote in 2012
that it was the single greatest Finals series in NBA history. Ahead of any of
Jordan’s six. Ahead of Magic. Bird. Russell. Kobe. Duncan.

In Hollinger’s own words: “while it seems strange to have somebody besides
Michael Jordan in the top spot [for greatest Finals series in history], the
truth is Jordan never dominated a Finals to this extent. At the time, many
called Wade’s performance Jordanesque. It turns out they might have been
selling [Wade] short.”

And so began the five-year stretch where Dwyane Wade averaged 27-5-7 with two steals and a block as a hybrid guard. His peak began with a
championship and ended with a year strong enough to court LeBron James. I would
be remiss, however, to neglect the 07-08 season where Miami competed with the
local sewage system for worst record in the league. Their 15-67 finish was the
pinnacle—as awkward as it sounds—of Wade’s awful supporting cast.

In that 2008 season, only Ricky Davis played more than 2000
minutes for the Heat. Behind Davis and Wade, Pat Riley threw out Jason
Williams, Udonis Haslem, Mark Blount, and Daequan Cook on the court the most.
Wade and Davis were the only players to score more than 1000 points. Haslem and
that oh-so-gorgeous jumper was Miami’s third-leading scorer with a blistering 589
points. 35-year-old Shaq played 33 games.

Yet even with such a perfect tank-job, Miami couldn’t land
the number one pick, who that year would become NBA MVP, Derrick Rose. They
opted for Kansas State freshman standout, Michael Beasley. Some names that were
called after Beasley’s in 2008: Russell Westbrook (number 4 overall), Kevin
Love (5), Brook Lopez (10), Roy Hibbert (17), Serge Ibaka (24), and Nic Batum
(25). Whoops.

The Decision that LeBron made was as huge a moment for Wade
as it was for LeBron. The circus surrounding the best player of his generation
is understandable, and LeBron had been hyped longer and more intensely than
Wade. It’s hard to call it a sacrifice when you bring in LeBron, but it was to
a certain extent. 2010-2014 Dwyane Wade was LeBron James’ sidekick. It pushed
the media even farther away from that quiet kid in the back of the class.

We forget his greatness from 2006 until 2014 because his talent
is too ambiguous to define in those four Big 3 seasons. With LeBron taking over much of the
facilitating and playmaking role, Wade posted up more (and was efficient from
the low block). He was able to take, more than ever, shots inside the paint.
While it was great in the short-term, this luxury may have hindered Wade’s
development of a three-point shot, something that would have been useful in the
2014 Finals.

LeBron earned the heat he took for failing to show up in the
2011 Finals. He just became invisible. Yet in the midst of that, Dwyane Wade
was able to keep the Heat hanging on for six games. 27-7-5 on 55-30-69 shooting
was good enough to claw away two wins in the first three games of the series.
The first four games of the series went win by eight (W8), lose by two (L2),
W2, L3. But the Dallas Mavericks had a team, and Dirk went 26-10 for the Finals
series on 98 percent from the line. I still don’t remember him missing a free
throw. (We’ll keep his mediocre efficiency from the field, at 42 percent,
between you and me.) The best player in the series, especially in light of
LeBron’s shortcomings, was Dwyane Wade, but history will not remember it like
that.

The B2B championships in 2012 and 2013 speak for themselves.
LeBron ran the show, as his pair of MVPs and Finals MVPs show, but Wade was the
second wheel who kept things rolling along. Chris Bosh was nice to have, but he
was more of a role player than a star in both playoffs.

This past 2013-14 NBA season drew Wade’s injury issues to
the forefront. Even then, shots of Flash ran across television screens in the
playoff series preceding the 2014 NBA Finals beat-down courtesy of the San
Antonio Spurs.

~~

At age 32, Dwyane Wade already has Hall of Fame-worthy
accomplishments. Three-time champion, NBA Finals MVP, 10x All-Star, All-Star
MVP (2010), 8x All-NBA player, 3x All-Defensive Second Team player, and an NBA
scoring champion. Wade is the only player under 6’6” with more than 600
blocks. Only he and Michael Cooper have more than 500. Only Kidd (9x
All-Defensive player, 4x All-First Team), Dennis Johnson (9x All-Defensive
player, 6x All-Defensive First Team), Paul Pressey (3x All-Defensive player),
and Kendall Gill had more than 400.

Despite the fact that Wade has never been rewarded with an
All-Defensive First Team, he has shown all-world defensive talent. You knew he
would bring it on a nightly basis from both ends of the floor.

Wade is also in elite company as a complete offensive
threat. Since 1980, only five players have averaged 27 points, five rebounds,
and six assists per game: Larry Bird (three times), Kobe (twice), LeBron (eight
times), Jordan (three times) and Wade (twice). Wade did this in 2006, while
leading Miami to a title almost singlehandedly, and in 2009, when Michael
Beasley—who started 19 games for the season and barely played 2000 minutes—was
the team’s second leading scorer at 13.9 points per game. Wade managed 7.5
assists with a starting five with Chalmers, Haslem, Shawn Marion, and Joel
Anthony/Jermaine O’Neal. Off the bench he had Daequan Cook, Luther Head, Joel
Anthony, Chris Quinn, and a host of other barely-NBA players.

2006 NBA champions, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal

Another impressive yet oft-forgotten aspect was Wade’s
Olympic performance. Those 2008 US Olympic champions (that beat Spain) clobbered
opponents by an average of almost 30 points per game. That team was stacked
with All/super-stars: Carmelo, Bosh, Kobe, Dwight Howard, LeBron, Kidd, CP3,
and Deron Williams. Each was vying for their piece of the scoring load.
By the tournament’s finish, though, it was Dwyane Wade who scored the most. In
true Wade fashion, the best team in the world got a little bit of everything
from the 06 Finals MVP, who put up 16-4-2 with two steals. He scored more,
rebounded more, and was more active on the defensive end of the floor than the
reigning 2008 MVP, Kobe Bryant.

His career playoff numbers verify what Hollinger alluded to
in his 2012 column about Wade’s 2006 performance. Seven players in history have
put up 3200 points, 750 rebounds, and 750 assists in the playoffs: Jordan,
LeBron, Magic, Kobe, Bird, Scottie, and Wade. (Note: all stats mentioned, this
one included, are from the three-point era, or 1979-80 to the present, which
overlaps almost identically with the modern era
of 1980-81. It was at this point when the NBA began to average less than 90 FGA
per game.) And for all the heat he takes, Wade is a career 33 percent
three-point shooter in the playoffs (38 percent in 06, 41 percent in 2010). He
does what his team needs him to do. No drama, no complaining, just a superstar
who molds himself into what the franchise needs him to be. Few other superstars
can claim that.

In his 2010 playoff series, his 33 points, five rebounds,
six assists per game in the playoffs put him in more singularly elite
categories. The only other players to do that: Michael Jordan, LeBron, and
Tracy McGrady.

As I have highlighted multiple times, before LeBron and Bosh
came along, Wade’s supporting casts weren’t even average. Eddie Jones, Lamar
Odom, past-his-prime Shaq, Haslem, Jason Williams were some of his best
teammates. His teammates from his rookie year to 2010 that played the most
minutes were: Lamar Odom, Eddie Jones, Udonis Haslem (06 and 07), Ricky Davis,
Mario Chalmers, and Michael Beasley. I just threw up again.

So when people say Carmelo, LeBron, Kobe, or even
Jordan had a poor supporting cast, digest those teammates. Somehow even
before LeBron, Wade managed to get 50+ wins twice.

Wade did all of this as a member of the Miami Heat. He has
never wavered in his loyalty to the franchise that drafted him back in 2003. In
a business-oriented league, that is worth something. Never has he even so much
as demanded a trade. His skillset and the culture that he and Pat Riley
cultivated in South Beach was enough to lure the greatest player in the game to
leave his hometown for. Much like Paul Pierce—who did, as we all know,
eventually leave the Celtics—Wade battled through awful teams, year in and year
out.

He did everything when that’s what his team required of him
(2005 to 2010), and stepped back when his team required that. Even in the
LeBron years, Wade played his role magnificently (except for 2014 Finals, but
in the 2014 playoffs before then, he had flashbacks to the Wade of old). Now
the team needs the 2009 version again.

The former Marquette standout saw LeBron take his talents
away from South Beach to join him. Now it’s time to see how one of the NBA greats, who has
remained loyal to his team for his entire career, finishes off one of the most
underrated careers in NBA history. His step back might not fake opponents out
as much, his euro step might not have that same bite, and his spin move might
not get him to the basket as easily as it used to. But Dwyane Wade will strive
to do what he’s always done: win.